Del Cielo "Wish and Wait" CD
[Eyeball]
This all-female trio from the Maryland/DC/Virginia area plays melodic emo/indie rock, but not in an upbeat manner at all. It's fairly somber, but still catchy at times. They often layer clean/acoustic guitars with distorted guitars, prominent bass runs and a tight drum performance make the rhythm section important, and laidback singing takes the fore. Strangely enough there are very few vocals harmonies, which is a shame, as the singing is stellar, and more vocal harmonies would really add a lushness to the vocal performance. After a brief little "experimental" sort of intro, "Tripping" kicks into a minimal performance of layered guitars and vocals that actually stands out a whole lot despite its simplicity and lengthy running time (which doubles the average length of the other tracks). Most of the other songs are fairly consistent, tending to be midpaced with lots of open chords, though "Tell Me a Lie" messes with some thick reverb on the guitars and is a bit more memorable vocally, and "Don't Say it's Not Wrong" makes better use of the acoustic guitar layering with some nice arpeggios and more energetic strumming patterns. "Three Months Down" has more of a pop punk kind of feeling happening, again not upbeat, but definitely a direction I'd like to hear taken further. The recording is thick and natural, but I'd say it's definitely too dry and raw for what they're doing. It sort of has a really good demo or self-released sort of sound to it, so you can hear a few minor flaws, and the textures have a rough sort of edge to them that works, but I can't help but think that a brighter and more polished sound could really make this band so, so amazing. The layout is minimal, but I like it. There are a couple of band photos, orange and white are pretty much the only colors used, a lot of blank space is leftover (tastefully), and the text is all arranged in a compact manner, etc. All of the lyrics are crammed onto the two panels inside the booklet, and the songs are all totally personal. "It's hard enough to hear from friends that you've been lying all along. Sold out for a fool that I used to care about. Can't shake this image. It's been two weeks, still haven't talked - just act like everything is fine. Apparently blood's thinner than a six-pack and five minutes of a 'good time'..." I really like this band. Not that many acts out there these days are playing this style, which was a bit more common in the mid- to late-90's, but Del Cielo is great at it, and if they continue they could really turn some heads. All they really need is the proper recording to throw them over the fence, but this is already enjoyable work. (6/10)
Running time - 30:11, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: April Fools, Tell Me a Lie, Three Months Down]
Del Cielo - http://www.delcielorock.com

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